Results tagged ‘ Chipper Jones ’

For his second straight start, Brett Myers will be unable to get through the fifth inning as the Braves would bust the game wide open on a Chipper Jones’ pinch hit three-run home run in a six run fifth, as the Phillies fall to the Braves, 10-4. A Mets lost to the Cubs in extra-innings still leaves the Phillies ahead in the East by a game and a half while the magic number to clinch the East drops down to three. The Braves would score first in the first inning as, with two men on and no one out, Martin Prado would hit a RBI single, scoring Josh Anderson, who has earlier doubled, giving the Braves a 1-0 lead, while sending Kelly Johnson, who has earlier singled, to move on to second base. One out later, after Johnson has stolen third, as Brain McCann strikes out, to put runners on the corners, Casey Kotchman would make it 2-0 Braves, as he would hit a RBI single, scoring Johnson, and sending Prado to third. Phillies’ starter Brett Myers would finally get out of the inning by getting Omar Infante to hit into a double play, 1-6-3, cutting down Kotchman at second. The Phillies would get a run back in the second as, with runners on the corners and one man out, Pedro Feliz would hit a RBI single, scoring Pat Burrell, who has earlier doubled and has went to third on Shane Victorino’s ground ball to Braves’ second baseman Johnson, who would then commit a fielding error that would allow Victorino to reach base, making it 2-1 Braves, while Victorino would go to second. Chris Coste would then end the inning by hitting into a 6-4-3 double play, cutting down Feliz at second. The Braves would make it 3-1 in the third, as, with a runner on third and one out, Kotchman would hit into an out to Ryan Howard, for the second out of the inning, scoring McCann, who has earlier doubled, and has gone to third as Jayson Werth threw out Prado, who has earlier singled, when he tried to score on McCann’s double, with Coste supplying the tag, for the inning’s first out. The Phillies would get it back in their half of the third, when, with two outs, Chase Utley would hit a solo home run, his thirty-third home run of the year, cutting the lead to 3-2 Braves. The Phillies would tie it up in the fourth as Howard would hit a lead off home run, his forty-seventh home run of the year. Burrell would then follow with a double. After a Victorino fly out to right would move Burrell to third, Braves’ manager Bobby Cox would come out and relieve Braves’ starter Jo-Jo Reyes and replace him with Buddy Carlyle. Carlyle would then proceed to strand Burrell at third as he first get Feliz to strike out for the inning’s second out and then get Coste to end the inning by grounding out, 6-3. The Braves would then retake the lead in the fifth. After getting the lead-off batter to fly out, Myers would give up a walk to Prado. McCann would follow with a RBI double, scoring Prado, and giving the Braves a 4-3 lead. After Myers intentionally walk Kotchman, Charlie Manuel would take out Myers and replace him with Chad Durbin. Durbin would get the next batter, Infante, to hit a grounder to Howard. Instead of getting the sure out at first, Howard would throw to second, trying to force out Kotchman. Sadly, the plan backfired as the ball hit Kotchman and would go into right field, allowing McCann to score, making it a 5-3 Braves’ lead, with Kotchman safe at second and Infante on first thanks to Howard’s throwing error. This would become important as Durbin would strike out Jeff Francoeur for the inning’s second out, as it could’ve been the inning’s final out if Howard had gone to first and not second, leaving the Phillies’ trailing by one run. The next batter, Brandon Jones would then hit a RBI single, scoring Kotchman, giving the Braves a 6-3 lead and putting Infante on second. Chipper Jones is then sent out to pitch hit for Carlyle. Durbin is then replaced with Scott Eyre, whom the Phillies hope would be able to handle C. Jones. Sadly, he would not as C. Jones would hit a 2-1 fastball into the left field seats for a three-run home run, his twenty-second home run of the year, knocking in both Infante and B. Jones, and giving the Braves a 9-3 lead. Eyre would then end the inning by striking out Anderson. That six run fifth inning would seem to take the fight out of the Phillies, as they would be unable to mount anything against the Braves’ relievers. The Braves, in the meantime, would tack on an extra run in the eighth, as, with a runner on second and two outs, Prado would hit a RBI single, scoring Anderson, who has earlier walked, and has stolen second, to give the Braves a 10-3 lead, The Phillies would get a run back in their half of the eighth, as, with runners on second and third, and one out, Burrell, who has earlier walked, would score on McCann’s pass ball, making it a 10-4 Braves’ lead, and sending Victorino, who has earlier double, to move to third. But that was where he would stay as Braves’ reliever Julian Taveraz would strike out pinch hitter Greg Dobbs for the inning’s second out and then strikes out pinch hitter Matt Stairs to end the inning. The Phillies would then go down 1-2-3 in the ninth to end the ballgame.

Brett Myers would take the lost as he would only be able to go four and one third innings, giving up six run, four of which were earned, on ten hits. His record is now 10-13 with a 4.55 ERA. Chad Durbin would pitch a third of an inning, giving up two runs, neither of which were earned, on one hit while striking out a batter. Scott Eyre would pitch and inning and a third, giving up an earned run on two hits. Rudy Seanez would pitch a scoreless inning, giving up no hits. J.C. Romero would pitch an inning, giving up an earned run on one hit. Clay Condrey would pitch a scoreless inning, giving up a hit. Jo-Jo Reyes would get a no decision, as he pitches three and a third innings, giving up three earned runs on five hits. Buddy Carlyle would get the win as he goes two-thirds of an inning, giving up no runs on no hits. His record is now 2-0 with a 3.77 ERA. Vladimir Nunez would pitch a scoreless inning, giving up no hits. Jorge Julio would also pitch a scoreless inning, giving up a hit. Julian Taveraz would pitch an inning, giving up an unearned run on one hit and a walk. Manny Acosta would pitch a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

The Phillies’ offense has once again gone silent for most of the night, being unable to do any real damage on Jo-Jo Reyes before he got yanked in the bottom of the fourth inning, and then being kept quiet for most of the night by the Braves’ bullpen. Of course, Brett Myers being unable to put down the Braves earlier in the night didn’t help matters and Ryan Howard’s fielding blunder of throwing to second base for the force instead of going to first for the sure out would open up the flood gates that would turn the game into a blow out in the fifth inning thanks to Chipper Jones’ pinch hit three-run home run. Sigh, I hate reruns like this. I wonder why this team never make pennant winning easy or fast. Luckily, a Mets’ lost to the Cubs in extra-innings has dropped the Phillies magic number down to three. Anyway, with the day off today they should be able to regroup and forget this series before they meet the Nationals for the final three games of the season, starting tomorrow, weather permitting, as a big storm is heading in the direction of both Philadelphia and New York, which could play a factor in both the Phillies-Nationals and the Mets-Marlins series. I guess we’ll see what develops by friday night.

The Phillies are still a game and a half ahead of the Mets as they lost to the Cubs in extra-innings, with one more game to play in their four games series tonight. In the Wild Card chase, the Mets and the Brewers are now tied for the lead as the Brew Crew defeated the Pirates, with one more game left in their series. This bring up several interesting scenarios for the start of tomorrow night’s series (Phillies-Nationals, Mets-Marlins, Brewers-Cubs): 1) A Mets lost to the Cubs and a Brewers lost to the Pirates would place the Mets two games behind the Phillies and leaving both teams two games behind the Phillies in the wild card (the best of the four scenarios); 2) A Mets lost and a Brewers victory would put the Mets two games behind the Phillies and a game behind the Brewers in the wild card (the preferred scenario as it would force the Mets to get past two teams); 3) A Mets win and a Brewers lost would put the Mets a game behind the Phillies and a game ahead of the Brewers (bad, as it will put the pressure back on the Phillies to try to win two against the pesky Nationals); and 4) both the Mets and the Brewers win, putting the Mets a game behind in the East and both teams a game behind the Phillies in the wild card (very bad as the Phllies will have to worry about both teams). While I prefer scenario number two, I would rather the Phillies would just go out and cream the Nationals and let everything else just sort itself out.

Behind Pat Burrell’s three-run shot in the bottom of the eighth inning and the solid pitching of rookie J.A. Happ and the bullpen, the Phillies have defeated the Braves, 6-2, cutting their magic number to get into the post-season down to one and to win the National League East down to four. Their lead in the East has increased to two and a half games as the Mets are unable to stop the Cubs. The Phillies took a quick 1-0 lead in the first as Chase Utley, with a runner on second and no one out, would hit a RBI double, knocking in Jimmy Rollins who has earlier doubled. The RBI would be the 100th of the season for Utley, the only Phil, other than Ryan Howard, to knock in so many runs. The Phillies would increase their lead to 2-0 in the second, as, with a runner on third and one out, Carlos Ruiz would hit into a ground out, second to first, scoring Shane Victorino, who has earlier singled, would move up to second on Pedro Feliz’s ground out, 6-3, and would go to third on Braves’ starter Jair Jurrjens’ wild pitch. The score would remain 2-0 for the next three innings as a pitchers’ duel developed between Jurrjens, who was able to slow down the Phillies’ offernse after the second inning and Phils’ starter J.A. Happ, who would be almost unhitable to the Braves’ offense, who would only be able to get two hits and a walk off of him through the first five innings. Sadly, that would come to an end in the sixth, as, with a runner on first and one man out, Kelly Johnson, would tie up the ballgame at 2-2 as he would slug an 0-1 slider, that was high in the strike zone, into the right field seats, scoring Matin Prado, who has earlier walked. One inning later, the Braves would threaten to take the lead, as with one out, Brent Lillibridge would get on base with a single to left. Jurrjens would then move him over to second with a sacrifice bunt, for the inning’s second out. Charlie Manuel would then come out of the dugout and take out Happ and replace him with Rudy Seanez, to face pinch hitter Greg Norton, who was pinch hitting for the originally announced pinch hitter, Yunel Escobar, who in turned was to pinch hit for Josh Anderson. Seanez would proceed to intentionally walk Norton, putting runners on first and second. Seanez would then get the next batter, Prado, to hit into a force out, 6-4, putting out Norton at second, for the final out of the inning. The Braves would then try again in the eighth, as Johnson would lead off the inning with a double, and then would go to third on Victorino’s fielding error. Seanez would then get Omar Infante to line out to Rollins for the inning’s first out. The next batter, Jeff Francoeur, would then hit a fielder’s choice ground ball to Rollins, who would quickly throw home, cutting down Johnson, as Ruiz blocks the plate and tags him out, for the second out of the inning, while Francoeur would be safe on first. After Manuel takes out Seanez and replaces him with Scott Eyre, Eyre would get Casey Kotchman to fly out to left for the inning’s final out. The Phillies would then retake the lead in their half of the eighth, as pinch hitter Greg Dobbs would get a pinch single off of Braves’ reliever Jeff Bennett. After Dobbs is replaced at first base by pinch runner Greg Golson, the Braves would try to pick Golson off at first. It didn’t work as Bennett would commit a throwing error, as the ball would get past Braves’ first baseman Kotchman, which would allow Golson to go from first to third. After Rollins would ground out for the inning’s first out, Utley would be intentionally walked, bringing up Jayson Werth. Werth would hit a sharp grounder to Braves’ third baseman Prado, who would then throw home in an attempt to cut down Golson. It wouldn’t work, as Golson was off on the crack of the bat, beating Braves’ catcher Clint Sammons’ tag, and scoring the go ahead run as the Phillies took a 3-2 lead, while Utley would go on to second and Werth would reach first on the fielder’s choice. Bobby Cox would then come to the mound and replace Bennett with Will Ohman. After Howard flies out for the second out of the inning, Ohman would be replaced by Julian Tavarez to pitch to Pat Burrell. With the count going to 3-1, Burrell would hit a Tavarez’s fastball into the left field seats for a three-run home run, his thirty-third home run of the year, scoring both Utley and Werth, and giving the Phillies a 6-2 lead. After Victorino follows with a triple, Tavarez would finally end the inning by getting Feliz to fly out to left. The Phillies would then hand the ball over to Ryan Madson. After Madson gets pinch hitter Ruben Gotay to fly out for the inning’s first out, he would give up a pinch single to pinch hitter Chipper Jones. Pinch hitter Brian McCann would then follow him with a deep fly ball to left that would go out of the park, but would be declared a double by the third base umpire Chad Fairchild who would claim that the ball has landed under the yellow line, making it a double and not a home run. A later umpires’ conference would uphold Fairchild’s call, as does instant reply, thus leaving the Braves with runners on second and third with one out and not a two-run homer for McCann. Madson would then buckle down and get Gregor Blanco to fly out to left for the second out of the inning, and then get Prado to ground out, 4-3, to end the game and preserve the win.

J.A. Happ would get a no-decision as he pitches a strong six and two-thirds innings, giving up two earned runs on five hits, striking out five while walking only two. Rudy Seanez would pitch a scoreless inning of relief, giving up only one hit and walking a batter. Scott Eyre would get the win as he pitches a third of an inning, giving up no runs and no hits. His record is now 5-0 (3-0 with the Phils) with an ERA of 4.30. Ryan Madson would also pitch a scoreless inning, giving up only two hits. Jair Jurrjens would also get a no-decision as he pitches seven innings, giving up two earned runs on five hits and a walk. Jeff Bennett would get the lost as he pitches a third of an inning, giving up three earned runs on a hit and a walk. His record is now 3-7 with an ERA of 3.86. Will Ohman would also pitch a third of an inning, getting out the only man that he would face. Julian Tavarez would also go a third of an inning, giving up an earned run on two hits.

The Phillies would score two early runs, which J.A. Happ would hold onto brillantly until he gives up the two-run home run to Kelly Johnson in the sixth. The Phillies offense would then go back to work in the bottom of the eighth, scoring four unanswered runs, with the big blow being Pat Burrell’s three-run shot. The go ahead run that Greg Golson would score on the crack of the bat, would be his first run scored in a major league game. The bullpen would then come in and pitch two and a third innings of shut out ball, although Madson almost gave up a two-run home run to pinch hitter Brian McCann, except that the ball would drop into the seats below the yellow line under the railing in left, as confirmed later by instant replay. The Phillies are now on a roll, having won ten of their last eleven games, as they reached a season high twenty-one games over .500, the highest since their pennant winning year of 1993. The Phillies are now one game away from 90 wins, and need just one more game to guarantee a return to the playoffs.

The Phillies (89-68) will continue their series with the fourth place Braves (69-86) with a game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will start at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phillies will send to the mound their ace Cole Hamels (14-9, 3.10), who is coming off a win against the Braves on September 18, as he went six innings, giving up two earned runs on six hits, in the Phillies’ 4-3 win. Hamel will be trying for his fifteenth win of the year while trying to secure the playoff spot for the Phillies with a good outing tonight. The Braves’ starter will be Mike Hampton (2-3, 5.05), who is coming off a lost to the Phillies on September 18, as he would go seven innings, giving up four runs, only two of which were earned, in the Braves’ 4-3 lost. This is his third start against the Phillies, sporting an 0-1 record, with a no-decision. He will be trying to hold off the Phillies running into the playoff for one more night.

The Phillies are now leading the Mets by two and a half games, thanks to the Mets lost to the Cubs. The magic number to win the National League East is now at four. In the Wild Card chase, the Mets’ lead over the Brewers is now at a game, as the Brewers were idle last night, while it is at three and a half games over Houston, who were also idle last night. The Phillies will be trying to win tonight’s game to guarantee a spot in the playoffs, while trying to see if they can get Cole Hamels his fifteenth win of the season.

A two-run blast by Pat Burrell would be the difference as the Phillies sweep the Braves for the third time at Turner Field, the first time that this has happened to the Braves since the Cubs did it to them in 1909 when they were known as the Boston Doves. The win keep the Phils a half game in front of the Mets in the East as the Mets crushed the Nationals last night. The Phillies would take the lead in the first as, with one out and a man on first, Jayson Werth would hit a RBI double, scoring Chase Utley, who has earlier singled, to give the Phils a quick 1-0 lead. Werth would then go to third base on Braves’ center fielder Josh Anderson’s fielding error. Ryan Howard would then bring Werth home with a sacrifice fly, giving the Phillies a 2-0 lead. The Braves would get a run back in their half of the first as, with a runner on first and two outs, Brian McCann would hit a RBI double of his own, scoring Chipper Jones, who has earlier walked, to make it a 2-1 Phillies’ lead. The Braves would then tie it in the second as Casey Kotchman would hit a lead-off home run, his thirteenth home run of the year. The game would then become a pitchers’ duel between Braves’ starter Mike Hampton and Phillies’ starter Cole Hamels, with neither pitcher bending, especially Hamels as the Braves would have man on base during all six innings that he would eventually pitch. The Phillies would take the lead for good in the sixth, as, with a runner on first and one out, Pat Burrell would hit a two-run blast into the left field seats, his thirty-second home run of the year, and his 250th of his career as a Phil, third on the team’s all-time list, knocking in Howard, who was safe on a force out, giving the Phillies a 4-2 lead. The Braves would get one run back in a very wierd seventh inning. After Ryan Madson, who was pitching in relief of Hamels, has struck out the first two Braves’ batters on six pitches, Kelly Johnson would reach base on a grounder to Howard that was originally called an error as the ball would be deflected by Howard, since Howard should’ve been able to make the play, except that he might have gotten distracted by Johnson’s bat as it got broken by Madson’s 0-2 sinker and part of it flew in his direction, but would later be called a single by the scorer. Jones would then walk, putting Johnson on second. McCann would then hit a fly ball to left, which should’ve been handled by Burrell, but he would be called off by Jimmy Rollins who would end up dropping the ball for an error, allowing Johnson to score, making it 4-3 Phillies, and for Jones to move up to third while McCann was safe at first. After McCann is replaced at first by pinch runner Brent Lillibridge, Lillibridge would go to second on Madson’s wild pitch, putting the go ahead run in scoring position. But that would be as far as the Braves would get as Madson would get Omar Infante to pop out to third for the inning’s third out. The Phillies would fail to add an insurance run in both the eighth and ninth innings, while J.C. Romero would keep the Braves from doing any damage in the bottom of the eighth. In the bottom of the ninth, Brad Lidge would be given the ball, and unlike Tuesday’s night wild ninth, he would put down the Braves 1-2-3 for his thirty-eighth save of the year in thirty-eight tries.

Cole Hamels would get the win as he would go six innings, giving up only two earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five. His record is now 14-9 with an ERA of 3.10. Ryan Madson would pitch an inning, giving up an unearned run on one hit and a walk, while striking out two. J.C. Romero would pitch a scoreless inning, giving up just one hit. Brad Lidge would get his thirty-eighth save of the year as he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning, striking out two. Mike Hampton would take the lost as he goes seven innings, giving up four runs, only two of which were earned, on six hits. His record is now 2-3 with a 5.05 ERA. Julian Tavarez and Jeff Bennett would each pitch a scoreless inning, giving up just one hit (Tavarez) and walking a man each.

Although the Phillies’ bat weren’t as damaging as they were in the first two games, they were able to outscore the Braves as they accomplish something that has not been done to the Braves for 99 years, since the Cubs beat them in eleven home games when they were known as the Boston Doves in 1909: sweep the Braves in their home ball park in three straight home series. Also, this is the first time since 1943, when the Braves were still playing in Boston, that the Braves have lost nine home games to another franchise. This was mainly because the Phillies’ pitchers were able to keep the Braves from being able to score after getting a runner on base, since they had at least one man get on base in the first eight innings before Lidge would come in and get a 1-2-3 inning on thirteen pitches. The offensive star of the night was Pat Burrell as he was the only man in the line up to get two hits, as he went 2 for 3 with a single and a home run, his 250th as a Phil, putting him in third place on the team’s all time list and 9 home runs behind Del Ennis. The rest of the starters would get at least a hit, except for Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard, who would both take the collar, although they both would reach base with a walk, while Howard would knock in a run with a sacrifice fly. The presently hot Phillies will need to stay hot, taking their seven games winning streak as they face an equally hot Marlins team who have won their last eight games, as they see their pennant hopes slowly slipping away.

The Phillies (86-67) will played their last three games set on the road as they face the third place Marlins (80-72). The first game of the series will be played at Dolphin Stadium and will start at 7:10 pm Eastern. The Phillies’ starter will be Brett Myers (10-11, 4.06), who is coming off a complete game victory against the Brewers on September 14, as he gave up an earned run on two hits, in the Phillies’ 6-1 win in the nightcap of a day/night doubleheader. Since coming back from his minor league assignment, Myers has been red hot, going 7-2 and two no-decisions in eleven starts, with an ERA of 1.80. One of those two losts, sadly, came at the hands of the Marlins on September 10, as he went seven and a third innings, giving up four earned runs on eight hits, in the Phillies’ 7-3 lost. The numbers are deceptive, though, as Myers controlled the fish for the first six innings, giving up just three runs in those innings, but getting almost no support from the Phillies’ bat, especially after they had tied the game in the fifth. Myers will be looking to even his overall record and for his eighth win since his return, while hoping that the Phillies will this time give him some runs support against the fish. The Marlins will counter with Josh Johnson (5-1, 3.30), who is coming off a win against the Nationals on September 13, as he went six innings, giving up two earned runs on six hits, in the Marlins’ 4-2 win. In his previous start against the Phillies on August 5 he picked up a win as he went six innings, giving up no runs on five hits, in the Marlins’ 8-2 win. He will be trying to extend the Marlins’ eight games winning streak while snapping the Phillies’ seven games winning streak.

The Phillies are still a half game ahead of the Mets, as the Mets, after defeating the Nationals last night, head on to Atlanta for a three games series. They are still five and a half games ahead of the Marlins, who have finished sweeping the Astros and will now host the Phils. In the Wild Card chase, the Mets lead over the Brewers is now a game and a half as the Brewers lost to the Cubs in extra-innings. The Brewers will now face the Reds in Cincinnati for three games. The Mets now lead the hot Marlins and the fading Astros by five games, as the fish host the Phillies while the Astros will play the Pirates for three games. The Phillies will be looking to continue their winning streak and to increase their lead in the Eastern Division while trying to end the Marlins’ pennant hopes in both the division and the wild card.

In a wild game in Atlanta, a Ryan Howard home run would be the difference as the Phillies would hang on to defeat the Braves, 8-7. A Mets lost to the Nationals would put the Phils back into first place in the National League East by a half game. The Phillies would take the lead in the third as, with one man out and with a runner on second, Chase Utley would hit a RBI double, scoring Jimmy Rollins, who has gotten on base earlier with a double, to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead. This would be the first run to be scored off of Braves’ starter rookie James Parr in three starts. The Phillies would make it a 3-0 lead as Jayson Werth would follow with a two-run home run, his career high twenty-third home run of the year, scoring Utley. Ryan Howard would then follow with a single. After Pat Burrell strikes out for the inning’s second out, Shane Victorino would follow with a double. Unfortunaltely, Howard would be thrown out at the plate trying to score on a good throw from Braves’ right fielder Jeff Francoeur to second baseman Martin Prado to catcher Brian McCann, who would supply the tag on Howard for the final out of the inning. The Braves would come back in their half of the third as Phillies’ starter Jamie Moyer would have the first of his two bad innings of the night. After striking out Parr for the inning’s first out, Moyer would hit Josh Anderson, sending him to first. Anderson would then move up to second on a Moyer’s wild pitch. Moyer would then walk Prado, putting men on first and second with one out. Chipper Jones would then follow with a single, loading up the bases. McCann would then hit a RBI single, scoring Anderson, cutting the Phillies’ lead to 3-1, while leaving the bases loaded as Prado and Jones would each move up only one base. Moyer would then strike out Omar Infante for the inning’s second out. Casey Kotchman would then follow with a two-run single, scoring both Prado and Jones, tying up the game at three all, while moving McCann up to third. Moyer would finally get out of the inning by getting Francoeur to fly out. The Phillies would retake the lead in the fourth as, with one out, Carlos Ruiz would hit a solo home run, his fourth home run of the year, making it 4-3 Phillies. The Phils would then threaten to score again in the fifth as Werth and Howard would both single with one out, putting runners on first and second. Bobby Cox would then come out to remove Parr and replace him with Buddy Carlyle. Carlyle would proceed to strike out Burrell for the inning’s second out, then get Victorino to ground out 3-1 to end the threat. In the sixth, Moyer would have the second of his bad innings. After getting Kotchman to ground out, 4 to 3, for the inning’s first out, Moyer would give up a single to Francoeur. Moyer would then walk both Brent Lillibridge and pinch hitter Greg Norton to load the bases. Anderson would then hit a sharp ball towards first that would be caught by Howard who would then beat Anderson to the bag for the inning’s second out, as Francoeur scored, tying the game at four runs apiece, while moving both Lillibridge and Norton up a base. Charlie Manuel would then come out of the dugout and take out Moyer, replacing him with Chad Durbin to try and put out the fire. Sadly, Durbin would be unable to do so, as he would give up a single to pinch hitter Kelly Johnson, knocking in both Lillibridge and Norton, giving the Braves a 6-4 lead, while Johnson would go to second on Victorino’s throw to the plate that would bounce off the mound, allowing Johnson to move up a base. That would come back to haunt the Phillies later in the inning, as, after Durbin intentionally walks Jones, Manuel would come back out to replace him with Scott Eyre to face McCann. That move wouldn’t work as McCann would hit a RBI single, scoring Johnson, making it now 7-4 Braves, while sending Jones to second. Eyre would finally end the inning by getting Infante to hit into a force out, 6-4. The Phillies would strike back in the seventh, as, with a runner on first and one man out, Howard would hit a deep fly ball to left that would be misplayed by Infante, thus becoming a RBI triple, while scoring Werth, who has earlier singled, cutting the Braves’ lead to 7-5. Cox would then come out and replace Jeff Bennett with Will Ohman. After striking out Burrell for the inning’s second out, Ohman would give up a RBI single to Victorino, scoring Howard and making it a 7-6 Braves’ lead. Pedro Feliz would then reach base on a throwing error by shortstop Lillibridge, as he threw the base past Prado on a force out attempt, allowing Victorino to reach second. But after Ohman walks pinch hitter Greg Dobbs to load the bases, he would finally end the inning by getting pinch hitter Matt Stairs to ground out, 3 to 1. The Phillies would then retake the lead for good in the eighth, as with a runner on first with two outs, Howard would hit his major league leading forty-fifth home run of the year, scoring Werth, who has earlier walked, to give the Phillies an 8-7 lead. In the ninth, the Phillies would hand the ball over to Brad Lidge for the save. But, it would not be easy. Lidge would start off the inning by walking Jones. Lidge would then get McCann to pop out to Utley under the Infield Fly Rule, although Utley would pretend to miss the ball, to try for a force out, but the umpire wouldn’t go for it. The next batter, Infante, would then hit a sharp ground ball to Feliz. Although hit hard enough for a double play ball, Feliz would only have one play, to first, throwing out Infante, as Jones was running on the play, reaching second safely. Lidge would then proceed to walk both Kotchman and Francoeur to load the bases, with two men out, for Gregor Blanco. Lidge would then strike out Blanco swinging on a 2-2 slider, ending the game as he finally records his thirty-seventh save in thirty-seven tries.

Jamie Moyer would get a no-decision, as he would goes five and two-thirds innings, giving up six earned runs on six hits while walking four and striking out six, as he would have two very bad innings that would hurt him. Chad Durbin would pitch to two batters, getting neither of them out, as he gives up an earned run on a hit and walks a batter. Scott Eyre would pitch a third of an inning, giving up no runs on one hit. Ryan Madson would get the win as he pitches two scoreless innings, giving up no hits while striking out three. His record is now 4-2 with a 3.16 ERA. Brad Lidge would pitch a scoreless inning, although he would give up three walks while striking out one as he records his thirty-seventh save of the year. James Parr would also get a no-decision, as he is able to last only four and a third innings, giving up four earned runs on ten hits. Buddy Carlyle would pitch an inning and two-thirds of scoreless relief, giving up no hits while striking out two. Will Ohman would pitch a third of an inning, giving up two earned runs on two hits. Jeff Bennett would pitch two-thirds of an inning, giving up no runs on a hit. Julian Tavarez would pitch two thirds of an inning, giving up an earned run on no hits and a walk. Mike Gonzalez would get the lost as he receives his second blown save of the year as he pitches a third of an inning, giving up an earned run, Ryan Howard’s home run, on one hit. His record is now 0-3 with a 4.25 ERA. Jorge Julio would pitch a scoreless inning, giving up no hits while walking a batter as he struck out the side.

Two bad innings almost did in Jamie Moyer and the Phillies as Moyer would lose control of his stuff in both the third and the sixth innings, giving up three runs in both, as he gave up in those two innings four singles and four walks, along with a hit batsman. But this time the offense would refuse to die, thanks to Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, Shane Victorino and Jimmy Rollins. The game’s star, a red hot Howard, would be a double short of hitting the cycle, as he went four for five, getting two singles, a triple and a home run, knocking in three runs while scoring two. Victorino would follow by going three for five with two singles and a double, knocking in a run. Jayson Werth would be next as he went three for four, getting two singles and a home run, knocking in two runs while scoring three. Jimmy Rollins would go two for five with a single and a double, scoring a run. Carlos Ruiz and Chase Utley would also contribute with a home run (Ruiz) and a RBI double (Utley). The only ones who would not contribute would be Pedro Feliz, who would get on base with a walk, and Shane Victorino would go 0 for five, striking out all five times. In a fourteen hit attack, half of the hits would be for extra-bases (2B (3), 3B (1), HR (3)), showing that the Phillies’ offense, in general, is hot at the moment, a situation that will hopefully last to the end of the year.

The once again first place Phillies (84-67) will play the second of their three games against the fourth place Braves (67-84) tonight. The game will be played at Turner Field and will start at 7:10 pm Eastern. The Phillies will send to the mound, in place of the presently ineffective Kyle Kendrick, rookie J.A. Happ (0-0, 5.71), who will be making his third start for the Phillies, still looking for his first major league win. His last appearance was in relief against the Marlins on September 9, as he would pitch three and a third innings in relief of Kendrick, giving up three earned runs on five hits, in the Phillies’ 10-8 lost. His last start was a no-decision on July 9 against the Cardinals, where he went six and a third innings, giving up two earned runs on five hits, in the Phillies’ 4-2 win. The Phillies have won both of his starts, although he would receive no-decisions in both games. He will be trying for his first win while trying to keep the Phils in first place as he face the Braves for the first time in his short major league career. The Braves will counter with Jair Jurrjens (13-9, 3.62), who is coming off a win against the Rockies on September 11, where he went six innings, giving up four earned runs on eight hits, in the Braves’ 8-4 win. He has faced the Phillies two previous times, winning his last meeting against them on July 25, as he went eight innings, giving up no runs on just three hits, in the Braves’ 8-2 win. His record this year against the Phillies is 1-1. He will be trying to improve his record while trying to put an end to the Phillies’ seven games winning streak at Turner Field.

With the win, the Phillies jump back into first place, a half game ahead of the Mets who lost last night, 1-0, to the Nationals. They are still five and a half games over the Marlins, who defeated the Astros. The Phillies’ win and the Mets lost would put the Mets back into the Wild Card race, where they now have a half game lead over the Brewers, after their lost to the Cubs, who are out to clinch the National League Central Division this week. With eleven games left in the season, the Phillies are out to extend their present winning streak to six games and their winning streak at Turner Field to eight games, while hoping to extend their lead over the Mets in the East.

The Phillies leaves Atlanta with a sweep and a surprising winning road trip while Cole Hamels just missed pitching a complete game shut out as the Phillies defeated the Braves, 4-1. The Phillies would score their first run in the first inning as Braves’ starter Jair Jurrjens gives up a solo home run to Chase Utley, his league leading twenty-fourth home run of the year, making it 1-0 Phillies. The Phillies would make it 2-0 in the fourth, when, with one out, Pedro Feliz would hit a RBI single, scoring Pat Burrell, who had gotten on base earlier with a double. The Phillies would increase their lead to 3-0 in the sixth when Ryan Howard would hit his twenty-second home of the year, a solo shot to left. The fourth and last Phillies’ run would come in in the seventh on a solo hime run by Feliz, his tenth home run of the year. While the Phillies were scoring their runs, Hamels was dominating the Braves, keeping them scoreless for eight innings, giving up only three hits during that time, while striking out six of the seven Braves that he would strike out that night. This would all change in the ninth. Chipper Jones would start the inning off with a double to center. Hamels would then get out the next two Braves, Mark Teixeira via a ground ball, short to first, that would keep Jones at second, and then striking out Omar Infante for his seventh strike out of the game. But, he would then lose the shut out as he gives up a RBI double to Brian McCann, a ball that got past a diving Howard, scoring Jones, making the score 4-1 Phillies. That would be it for Hamels, as Charlie Manuel takes him out of the game and replaces him with Tom Gordon. Gordon would end the game on one pitch as he gets the slumping Jeff Francoeur to fly out to left, as he records his second save of the year.

Cole Hamels would get the win as he goes eight and two-thirds innings, giving up only an earned run on five hits, while striking out seven. His record is now 9-5 with a 3.22 ERA. Tom Gordon would pitch to only one batter as he records his second save of the year. Jair Jurrjens would take the lost, as he goes seven innings, giving up four earned runs on eight hits. His record is now 8-4 with a 3.09 ERA. Will Ohman and Mike Gonzalez would both pitch a hitless/scoreless inning.

While the Phillies’ offense would be limited tonight to only eight hits, they would mostly be for extra-bases (1 (2B), 1 (3B), 3 (HR)). And, with Cole Hamels on the mound that would be more than enough for him to work with. With the sweep, the Phillies will end up with a winning road trip, something that was now expected with the way the Phillies were batting in both Oakland and Arlington, Texas. They will now come home to begin a four games series with the Mets.

The first place Phillies (47-39) will now come home to Citizens Bank Park for a four games Independence Weekend series with the third place Mets (42-43). The first game will be played tomorrow night, starting at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phillies’ starter will be J.A.Happ (0-0, -.–), who has just been called up from Lehigh Valley, where he has went 5-6 with a ERA of 3.54. He will be taking Brett Myers place in the rotation, hoping to pitch well enough to stay with the main team.The Mets will send out Johan Santana (7-7, 3.01), who is coming off a loss to the Yankees on June 28, where he would pitch six innings, giving up three earned runs on four hits, in the Mets’ 3-2 lost. He has lost his last three games in a row and four of his last five, with a no-decision in a game that the Mets would also lose. Santana will for the sixth straight time be trying for his eighth win of the season, while hoping that he can stop the Phillies just reawaken offense.

The Phillies’ lead over the Marlins is presently at two and a half games, as the Marlins have just lost to the Rockies in extra-innings. Their lead over the Mets is presently at four and a half games, as the Mets have just defeated the Cardinals in St.Louis. The Phillies, with the win, are now leading the Braves by seven games. As the Phillies come home for Independence Day, they hope to celebrate it by producing some fireworks of their own against the Mets.

Kyle Kendrick pitches six strong innings while the Phillies’ offense gave him some early runs support before finally putting the game away in the ninth, as the Phillies have now defeated the Braves for the fourth straight time in Atlanta, 8-3. The first Phillies’ run would come in the second as Pat Burrell would hit his twentieth home run of the season, leading off the inning, to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead. The Phillies would then break it open in the third against Braves’ rookie Charlie Morton. Rollins would start the inning off with a single to right. Shane Victorino would follow with a two-run home run, his third home run of the year, scoring Rollins, to make it 3-0 Phillies. Chase Utley would then get a single to right, followed by one to center by Ryan Howard, which would send Utley to third, with still nobody out. Burrell would single home Utley to make it a 4-0 Phillies’ lead, while sending Howard to third. Geoff Jenkins would then follow with a single, the fourth straight Phillies’ single and the fifth in the inning, scoring Howard, while sending Burrell to second, as the Phillies now had a 5-0 lead. That would be it for Morton, as Braves’ manager Bobby Cox would take him out, and replace him with Buddy Carlyle, who would come in and get out the three batters he would face via a called third strike (Pedro Feliz), fly out (Carlos Ruiz) and a foul tip strike out (Kendrick). With a five run lead, Kendrick would keep the Braves’ off of the scoreboard for six innings, while throwing his pitch when he needed to to stifle any possible attempts by the Braves to get an inning going. But this would end in the bottom of the seventh, as, after the Phillies were unable to really bust the game wide open in the top half of the inning when they had the bases loaded with only one out, Jeff Francoeur would start off Atlanta’s half of the inning with a single to right. Brent Lillibridge would then single to right, sending Francoeur to second. Pinch hitter Greg Norton would then follow with a double, scoring both Francoeur and Lillibridge, and cutting the Phils’ lead to 5-2. That would be it for Kendrick as Charlie Manuel would replace him with J.C. Romero. Romero would get Gregor Blanco to ground out to first for the first out of the inning, while moving Norton to third base. Romero would then issue a four-ball walk to Kelly Johnson, putting runners on the corners for Clipper Jones. Romero would then walk him, loading up the bases for Mark Teixeira. Teixeira would hit towards Utley what should’ve been a double play ground ball, that, because of Utley’s misplaying of the ball, would instead turn into a ground out, second to first, to get out Teixeira. On the play, Norton would score, making it 5-3 Phils, while Blanco and Jones would both move up a base. But that would be the end of the Braves’ rally as Romero would get Brian McCann to end the inning with a ground out, second to first. After being unable to bust it open in the eighth inning, after once again loading the bases with only one out, the Phillies would finally be able to do so in the ninth, when, with Blain Boyer pitching in relief, pinch hitter Jayson Werth would start the inning off with a single to right. He would then steal second, going to third on McCann’s thowing error. After Jenkins strikes out, Feliz would hit a sacrifce fly, scoring Werth and giving the Phillies a 6-3 lead. Ruiz would then get the walk. Pinch hitter Greg Dobbs would then follow with a single to center, sending Ruiz to second. Rollins then walks, loading the bases for the third straight inning, but this time with two outs. Victorino then follows with a two-run single to left, scoring both Ruiz and Dobbs and sending Rollins to second, to put the game away at 8-3. After Utley flies out to right to end the inning, Brad Lidge would come on to pitch the ninth, putting down the Braves and giving the Phillies the win.

Kyle Kendrick would get the win as he pitches a strong six innings plus three batters, giving up only three earned runs on seven hits. His record is now 8-3 with a 4.58 ERA. J.C. Romero and Tom Gordon would both pitch an inning of relief, each giving up no runs on no hits. Brad Lidge would pitch the ninth, giving up no runs on one hit. Charlie Morton would take the lost, lasting only two innings plus six batters, as he gives up five earned runs on eight hits. His record is now 1-2 with an ERA of 6.16. Buddy Carlyle would pitch three scorless innings in relief, giving up only one hit. Manny Acosta would pitch two scorless innings, giving up two hits. Will Ohman would pitch a scoreless, hitless inning of relief. Blain Boyer would pitch two-thirds of an inning, giving up three earned runs on three hits. Royce Ring would pitch a third of an inning, giving up no runs on no hits.

The Phillies’ offense appears to have returned, as the first six starters (Rollins, Victorino, Utley, Howard, Burrell and Jenkins) would all get two hits apiece, while pinch hitters Werth and Dobbs would also get hits, to give the Phillies a total of fourteen hits. All but three of those hits would be single, as Jenkins would get a double, while Burrell and Victorino would both hit home runs. In fact, Victorino would knock in a career high four RBIs during the game. In the game, the batters would appear to have been a bit more patient at the plate, although they would be unable to bust the game wide open in both the seventh and eighth innings when they twice had the bases loaded with only one out, but would be able to do so in the ninth with a third bases loaded situation, and with two men out. Meanwhile, until he ran out of gas in the seventh, although having a low pitch count, Kendrick would be able to keep himself out of any possible dangerous situtaion by being able to throw his pitch when he needed to. One of the Phils’ radio announcers (probably Gary Matthews) commented during the game that Kendrick has been taking advice from the veteran pitcher, Jamie Moyer, and that both Cole Hamels and Adam Eaton have both doing the same. If this is the result of Kendrick talking and listening to the veteran, then more power to him, just keep listening to the veteran.

The Phillies (45-39) continued their three games series in Atlanta (40-44) today with a night game at Turner Field. The game will start at 7:10 pm Eastern. The Phillies’ starter will be Adam Eaton (2-6, 4.86), who is coming off a tough lost against the A’s on June 26, where he would pitch seven innings, giving up three earned runs on six hits, in the Phillies’ 5-0 lost. He has lost his last three starts, although pitching well in two of those starts. The Phillies’ in his previous sixteen starts are 7-9. He has already faced Atlanta once this season, pitching a no-decision on June 8, during the Phillies’ sweep in Atlanta, going six innings, giving up only three earned runs on eight hits, in the Phillies’ 6-3 win. He will be trying for his third victory of the season, while hoping that the bats are indeed back. His opponent will be Jorge Campillo (3-2, 2.54), who is coming off a win against the Brew crew on June 25, where he would go seven innings, giving up two earned runs on four hits, in the Braves’ 4-2 win. He has faced the Phillies already once this year, a no-decision on June 8 as Eaton’s opponent. In that game he would pitch five and a third innings, giving up three earned runs on seven hits, in the Braves’ 6-3 lost. He will be going for his fourth win of the year, while trying to put the Phillies’ bats back to sleep, and to help the Braves avoid losing their fifth game at home against the Phillies.

The victory increases the Phillies’ lead over the Marlins to a game and a half as the fish would lose their game to the Nationals. The Mets now trail the Phillies by three and a half games as they won their game with the Cardinals. With the lost, the Braves now trail the Phils by five games. The Phillies will see if they can continue winning while trying to put some more distance between themselves and the rest of the division.

The Phillies would use the long ball to win their second straight game over the Braves in sweltzering Atlanta, 6-2. The first Phillies’ run would come in the fifth on a solo home run by Carlos Ruiz, his second home run of the year, making it 1-0 Phillies. The Phillies would increase their lead in the sixth on another solo home run, this one by Pat Burrell, his fifteenth home run of the year, to make it 2-0 Phillies. The Braves would tie the game in their half of the sixth on a two-run home run by the red hot Chipper Jones, hitting his fifteenth home run of the year, scoring Kelly Johnson, who has gotten on base earlier with a single. The Phillies would retake the lead in the eighth as Chase Utley would hit a RBI triple, scoring Shane Victorino, who has earlier walked, to give the Phils a 3-2 lead. Ryan Howard would quickly follow with a RBI single, scoring Utley, to make it 4-2 Phils. In the ninth inning, Jimmy Rollins would hit a monster two-run shot out of the park, his first home run since coming off the disabled list, for his fourth home run of the year, scoring Ruiz, who has earlier walked. That would be the ballgame as Brad Lidge would come in to pitch the ninth in a non-save role, striking out the side to end the game.

Kyle Kendrick would get a no-decision as he constantly flirted with disaster as he would pitch five and one third innings, giving up two earned runs on four hits, and walking five. Ryan Madson would pitch an inning, giving up no runs on no hits. J.C. Romero would record the victory, going two-thirds of an inning, giving up no runs on no hits. His record is now 4-1 with an ERA of 1.59. Tom Gordon would pitch an inning, giving up no runs on one hits and striking out three. Brad Lidge, in a none save situation, would strike out all three men that he would face. Jo-Jo Reyes would be the losing pitcher, going seven and one thirds innings, giving up four earned runs on seven hits and striking out seven. His record is now 2-4 with a 4.80 ERA. Royce Ring would only faced one batter, giving up a base hit. Jeff Bennett would pitch an inning, giving up two earned runs on two hits. Phil Stockman would pitch two-thirds of an inning, giving up no runs on no hits.

The Phillies will conclude their three games series in Atlanta with an afternoon game from Turner Field. The game will start at 1:30 pm Eastern. The Phillies’ starter will be Adam Eaton, (2-3, 4.63), who is coming off of his second straight victory, as he defeated the Reds on June 3, going six and two-thirds innings, giving up only one earned run on three hits, in the Phils’ 3-2 win. Eaton will be trying for his third straight win and his fourth good start in a row. The Braves will counter with Jorge Campillo (2-0, 1.79), who is coming off of a no-decision against the Marlins on June 3, where he would only pitch four innings, giving up four earned runs on sixth hits, in the Braves’ 5-4 win. He has pitched against the Phils’ two other times this year. both times in relief, going a combined three and one third innings, giving up no runs on sixth hits, His will be trying to see if he can stop the Phillies’ bats, while giving the Braves’ bats a chance to salvage at least one game in the series.

The Phillies are now twelve games over .500, while having a three games winning streak. The first place Phillies are still leading the Marlins by three and a half games, thanks to their victory over the Reds. The Braves are now trailing the Phils by five and a half games with the lost. The Mets are trailing the Phils by six and a half games with their lost to the Padres.

Cole Hamels pitchs his first career shutout as he holds the Chipper Jones-less Atlanta Braves to four hits in the Phils’ 5-0 victory. The victory leaves the Phillies a full game behind the Florida Marlins, whose game with the Reds in Cincinnati was postponed because of rain. The Phils would score their first run in the second inning against losing Braves’ starter Chuck James as Pedro Feliz hit a solo home run, his sixth home run of the year, making it 1-0 Phils. The Phils would increase their lead in the third with Ryan Howard hitting his ninth home run of the season, making a 2-0 Phillies lead. The Phils would make it 3-0 as Feliz knocks in his second RBI of the night, singling in Pat Burrell, who has gotten on base earlier with a walk. The Phils would then make it 5-0 in the fourth as Shane Victorino hits his first home run of the season, knocking in Jimmy Rollins, who has earlier walked. That would be all the runs that Hamels would actually need as he gives up just three singles to Omar Infante, Gregor Blanco and Jeff Francoeur and a double to Brian McCann. The Braves would attempt to rally twice, both times late in the game, first with McCann on second with two outs in the seventh, and then with runners on first and second with two outs in the eighth, after giving up walks to Greg Norton and Yunel Escobar, but Hamels would pitch himself out of both situations, with a fly out (seventh), and a ground out (eighth). In the ninth, after giving up a single to Francoeur, Hamels would get Mark Teixeira to hit into a double play, on a fantastic play by Rollins. Hamels would then get McCann to end the game by striking out swinging, his sixth strike out of the night. Cole Hamels gets the win, throwing 120 pitches overall as he goes all nine inning, giving up no earned runs on four hits, striking out six and walking two. With his first career complete game shut out, Hamels record improves to 5-3 while his ERA drops to 2.89. Braves’ starter Chuck James took the lost, going only four innings, as he is beaten up by Phillies’ hitters for five earned runs on six hits. His record drops to 2-3 while his ERA rises to 8.22. Jorge Campillo would pitch three innings of relief, giving up no runs on five hits. Chris Resop would pitch an inning, giving up no runs on one hit. The Phillies offense had twelve hits over all, with Rollins, Jayson Werth, Feliz and even Hamels, as each went 2-4 on the night. In fact, all but one of the Phils’ starting nine would get at least one hit in the game, as Chase Utley took the collar, going 0 for 3 with a walk. Meanwhile, Ryan Howard appears to be getting his swing back, as he has now hit safely in seven straight games, during which time he has hit a double, a triple and three home runs. With the win, the Phils win the series 2-1, while teeing off on all three of Atlanta’s starting left handers, although Tom Glavine would survive long enough to win one of the games for Atlanta. The second place Phillies are now a full game behind the first place Marlins, who will now meet the Kansas City Royals in Miami for three games. They are a game and half ahead of the third place Mets, who will be facing the New York Yankees for three games in Yankees Stadium. The fourth place Braves now trail the Phils by two games as they face the Oakland Athletics for a three games series in Atlanta. The Phillies (23-19) will begin their first Interleague series tonight against the Toronto Blue Jays (21-22, 4th American League East) for the first of three games at Citizens Bank Park. The game starts at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phils starter will be Jamie Moyer (2-3, 5.02), who is coming off of his worst outing of the season, as he got rocked by the Giants on May 10, giving up six earned runs on nine hits while going only four innings, in the Phils’ 8-2 lost. He will be looking to both redeem himself and evening his record. The Blue Jays will most likely counter with David Purcey (0-0, 2.08), who would be making his first start since April 18, when he started against the Detroit Tigers, after being called up from Triple-A Syracuse. In that game, he would get a no-decision, as he goes four and one-third innings, giving up an earned run on two hits, in the Blue Jays’ 8-4 lost. He will be looking for his first major league win. The Phillies will be looking to stay pace with the Marlins, if not regain first place, as they look to win yet another series at home.

The final game of the Phillies-Braves series will be played tonight at Citizens Bank Park, starting at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phils (22-19) will be sending out their ace, Cole Hamels (4-3, 3.36), who is coming off of a shaky start against the Giants on May 9, where he pitched seven innings, giving up four earned runs on six hits while striking out seven in the Phils’ 7-4 win. Although he has won two of his last three starts, his ERA has been steadily climbing since his third start of the season. He will need to improve both his record and his ERA as he faces the Braves (20-19), against whom he has a lifetime record of 3-2 in six starts, with him going 3-0 against them last year, with an ERA of 4.42. The Braves’ starter for tonight’s game will be Chuck James (2-2, 7.58), who is coming off a lost to the Pirates on May 10, where he went six innings, giving up five earned runs on five hits, in the Braves’ 5-2 lost. In the four games that he has so far started for the Braves this season, he has given up at least four earned runs in three of them. He will be looking to improve his season record while the Phils will be looking to increase his ERA totals.

At the moment, the series is at 1-1, with the Phils banging up both left handed starters who has so far been sent against them, although they have only roughed up both Reyes and Glavine in the middle innings. The Phils need to get to James’ early in the game, while Hamels needs to keep the Braves from scoring and silent Chipper Jones’ presently hot bat for the Phils to win.

Edit: Chipper Jones is not in the Braves’ starting line-up tonight with a sore groin, so Hamels won’t have to worry about facing his hot bat. Anyway, what a way to cool him off. Ouch!!!And Hamels has just gotten through the first inning, giving up only a single to Omar Infante.

The second place Phillies are presently 1.5 games behind the first place Marlins in the National League East, as the final game of the fish’s four games series with the Reds was postponed due to rain. They are presently a full game ahead of both the Mets, who have just lost three of four to the fifth place Nationals, and the Braves. They hope to gain a half-game on the Florida Marlins tonight while putting some distance between them and both the Mets and the Braves with a win tonight.

The Phils will continue the home stand with a three games Interleague series against the Toronto Blue Jays, followed by a road trip to Washington to face the Nationals for three games in their brand new stadium, followed by four more in Houston against the Astros.

The Phils come up short as they attempt to come from behind against the Braves, losing in the ninth, 8-6. Phils’ starter, Brett Myers, would get rocked early and often by the Braves, giving up a run in almost every inning he pitched last night. The Braves went to work in the first inning as Yunel Escobar hit Myers’ second pitch out of the park for a home run, his fourth of the year, giving the Braves a quick 1-0 lead. Four pitches later, Chipper Jones would hit his eleventh home run of the year, increasing Atlanta’s lead to 2-0. The Braves would increase their lead in the second inning on a first-pitch home run by Kelly Johnson, hit fifth of the season, making it 3-0. In the fourth, Brian McCann would increase the lead to 5-0, as he hit a two-run RBI double off of Myers, knocking in Mark Kotsay, who has got on base earlier via an error by Ryan Howard as he missed a throw on what should’ve been a double play ball, and Jones, who has doubled earlier. After escaping trouble in the fourth, Myers would get sent to the showers in the fifth, after he gives up a RBI single to McCann with one out, scoring Kotsay, who has earlier got on base with a single, making it a 6-0 Atlanta lead. Myers was able to pitch only four and one-third innings, eventually giving up eight runs, six of which were earned, on nine hits. Ryan Madson would come in to replace Myers. After getting the second out of the inning, Madson would intentionally walk Johnson, before giving up a RBI single to Gregor Blanco, scoring Mark Teixeira, who has gotten on base earlier via a force out, and McCann, making it 8-0 Atlanta, while both runs would be charged to Myers. But that would be it for Atlanta as Clay Condrey and Rudy Seanez would combine to pitch three scoreless innings as they give up no runs on one hit. In the meantime, the Phillies’ bat would finally get to Tom Glavine in the sixth. After Chris Coste gets his second single of the night off of Glavine, and pitch hitter Eric Bruntlett walks, Jimmy Rollins would knock in the Phils’ first run of the game with a double, scoring Coste. Shane Victorino would then get the Phillies’ second run as he grounds out, short to first, scoring Bruntlett. Chase Utley would then follow with his fourteenth home run on the year, scoring Rollins, as he makes the score 8-4 Braves. After walking Pat Burrell with two out, Glavine would be taken out of the game for Jeff Bennett, who would end the Phillies’ threat. In the eighth inning, Howard would cut the lead to 8-5 as he hits his ninth home run of the year off of Braves’ reliever Royce Ring. Then in the ninth, with two outs, the Phils attempt some ninth inning heroics. Coste would start it off by getting on base with a single, his fourth of the night, off of Blaine Boyer. Greg Dobbs then follows with a pinch hit single, getting Coste to second. Rollins would then get a RBI single, knocking in Coste and sending Dobbs to third. After Rollins gets his third steal of the year, putting the tying run in scoring position, Victorino would hit a long fly ball to the right field warning track, where it was caught by Jeff Francoeur, ending the threat, and giving Boyer his second save of the season, as the Braves hang on to win, 8-6.

Brett Myers would take the lost, as he gets hit hard in his four and one-third innings of work. His record is now 2-5 with an ERA of 6.40, as he gives up eight runs, six of which were earned, on nine hits. Ryan Madson would pitch two-thirds of an inning of relief, giving up no earned runs on two hits. Clay Condrey would pitch an inning, giving up no runs on one hit while Rudy Seanez would pitch two innings of relief, giving up no runs on no hits. Tom Glavine would win the game for the Braves, as he goes five and two-third innings, giving up four earned runs on four hits while striking out four as he kept the Phils off balanced until the sixth inning. Glavine receives his first win of the year, as his record improves to 1-1, while his ERA goes to 4.41. Jeff Bennett would pitch one-third of an inning plus one batter, as he gives up no runs on one hit. Will Ohman would go one inning, giving up no runs on no hits. Royce Ring would pitch two-thirds of an inning, giving up one earned run, Howard’s home run, on one hit. Blaine Boyce would go one and one-third inning, giving up an earned run on three hits as he records his second save.

In spite of the lost, the Phils are still in second place, 1.5 games behind the Marlins, as the fish loses their third game in a row to the Reds, and still half a game ahead of the Mets, as they lost again to the Nationals. The Phils are now ahead of the fourth place Braves by a full game.

Edit: The Phils are presently a full game ahead of the Mets as they have just lost their second straight game, and three of four, to the Nationals.

The final game of the three game series starts tonight at 7:05 pm at Citizens Bank Park. The Phils will be sending their ace, Cole Hamels (4-3, 3.36), to the mound for the rubber game of the series. Hamels is coming off a somewhat shaky start against the Giants on May 9, where he went seven innings, giving up four earned runs on six hits, as he gain the victory in the Phils’ 7-4 win. The Braves will counter with Chuck James (2-2, 7.58), who is coming off of a lost against the Pirates on May 10, where he gave up five earned runs on five hits as he pitched six innings in the Braves’ 5-2 lost. In his four starts, he had given up at least four earned runs in three of them. The Phils will be trying to win this game to stay in pace with the Marlins, and stay ahead of both the Mets and the Braves.

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